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88th out of 270 books
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120 voters
Good Enough to Eat
The last thing Melanie expected to lose when she went on a diet was her husband.
Former lawyer Melanie Hoffman lost half her body weight and opened a gourmet take-out café specializing in healthy and delicious food. Then her husband left her-for a woman twice her size. Immediately afterwards, she's blindsided by a financial crisis. Melanie reaches out to a quirky roommate...more
Former lawyer Melanie Hoffman lost half her body weight and opened a gourmet take-out café specializing in healthy and delicious food. Then her husband left her-for a woman twice her size. Immediately afterwards, she's blindsided by a financial crisis. Melanie reaches out to a quirky roommate...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
September 7th 2010
by Berkley Trade
(first published July 29th 2010)
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Melanie Hoffman, the heroine of Good Enough to Eat by Stacey Ballis, tackles what could be some very depressing challenges in her life: divorce, food issues, entrepreneurship (she owns a gourmet take-out café) and relationships. She manages (and sometimes mismanages) it all with pluck and support from family and friends.
Each chapter in this novel begins with Melanie's reminisces about how certain foods relate to events in her life, be they large or small. Quite a variety of food is covered - mas...more
Each chapter in this novel begins with Melanie's reminisces about how certain foods relate to events in her life, be they large or small. Quite a variety of food is covered - mas...more
What its about: A woman who realizes that her body isn't going to be able to sustain her unhealthy ways. She loses half of her body weight and quits her high stress job as a lawyer. She goes to culinary school and opens up a gourmet take out cafe that specializes in healthy food. She's finally getting her life together when she receives a huge shock. Her husband leaves her for a woman bigger than she ever was. Introduce a financial crisis, a new roommate and a potential boyfriend, stir vigorousl...more
Below is from my review on my blog: http://pattispenandpicks.blogspot.com...
I received Good Enough to Eat by Stacey Ballis at a very appropriate time in my life. The main character Melanie Hoffman has just gotten divorced, and so have I--different circumstances, but both Melanie and I have gone through big and interesting changes as a result.
Melanie has achieved what so many women work at and obsess over--she lost over 100 pounds and has gotten herself to a healthy weight. She has also changed j...more
I received Good Enough to Eat by Stacey Ballis at a very appropriate time in my life. The main character Melanie Hoffman has just gotten divorced, and so have I--different circumstances, but both Melanie and I have gone through big and interesting changes as a result.
Melanie has achieved what so many women work at and obsess over--she lost over 100 pounds and has gotten herself to a healthy weight. She has also changed j...more
I read this in 2 days flat. It's a light hearted read with serious warmth. Melanie, the heroine, is struggling with a new life...She's coping with all sorts of new stresses from her recent divorce, significant weight-loss, a business, unexpected financial woes, as well as new personal relationships.
What I like most about Melanie (and all of Stacey's heroines that I've "met" so far) is that she's real. She has flaws & insecurities, as well as, successes & pride. Ballis provides the crucia...more
What I like most about Melanie (and all of Stacey's heroines that I've "met" so far) is that she's real. She has flaws & insecurities, as well as, successes & pride. Ballis provides the crucia...more
So I started this book loving it. I love Melanie, and the characters, and the whole idea of Mel's business.
But then it started getting all language-y, and a little too rated R in the bedroom, and then the ending was like, what was that? Was that an ending? That was a crappy ending.
So what I am saying in this intensely badly written review is, I wish this book had been cleaner, and ended more solidly. If for those things, it would have been a 5 star review. Alas, 2 stars it is.
But then it started getting all language-y, and a little too rated R in the bedroom, and then the ending was like, what was that? Was that an ending? That was a crappy ending.
So what I am saying in this intensely badly written review is, I wish this book had been cleaner, and ended more solidly. If for those things, it would have been a 5 star review. Alas, 2 stars it is.
I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I felt like a lot of the dialogue was forced and more proper than people actually speak and i found that rather jarring. While I liked the overall idea of the plotline, it fell rather flat. Some of the characters felt a little forced and all of Kai's nicknames for Mel? Just didn't fit at all with either of their personalities, at least to me.
This was a fun book to read...read it entirely this rainy Sunday morning. As the book opens, the reader is informed that the main character, Melanie, has lost half her body weight, opened a cafe, and just been left by her husband (who has been involved in an affair with one of her previous "fat" coworkers for the past two years). There's nothing particularly weighty about the book but I have to admit that the author did come up with some wonderful "life lessons" along the way through the words o...more
When one reads the description of a book on the back or the inside flap, you get certain expectations. There are some books that make me REALLY excited to read them, and others that leave me lukewarm. And it's absolutely impossible to tell how a book will turn out other than simply reading it. That being said, what drew me to this book was the fact that the main character had lost a lot of weight, just like myself. Melanie was married to a thin guy, Andrew. She was fat. Then she lost weight, and...more
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This book was recommended to me by a Jen Lancaster fan. I needed something to read after finishing her last book, so I thought I would give this a try. I'm so glad I did!
The main character, Melanie, is going through a lot of changes- a divorce, a huge weight loss, opening her own business, and dealing with money issues. The book flowed nicely and the main character was very likable.
The supporting characters were all written amazingly. You could relate to all their troubles and happenings and t...more
The main character, Melanie, is going through a lot of changes- a divorce, a huge weight loss, opening her own business, and dealing with money issues. The book flowed nicely and the main character was very likable.
The supporting characters were all written amazingly. You could relate to all their troubles and happenings and t...more
I couldn't get through this book. I made it to page 26 and said to myself "that is it. no more." I kept reading the same pages over and over either due to lack of interest or the fact that she kept saying the same things over and over. When I picked it up, it looked like a fun book to read but I ended up not being able to picture the characters and get my mind truly into the book. I don't like books that are unrealistic...she was a high powered attorney turned chef of health foods....used to hav...more
For me, the first half of this book was much better than the second half. Towards the end, I just wanted it to be over with already. Cheesy dialogue at times. Do grown men actually say, "now, scoot"? Unsatisfying ending. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
FANTASTIC!!!! It got a little slow towards the end, as I was ready to give this 5-stars! Stacey Ballis does an amazing job at describing what it was like to be obese; to have a food addiction, how people treat you, how others look at you, and even after she lost the weight, she still felt like a fat girl on the inside. I have never been a big girl; in fact, I have never been bigger than a size 6. Therefore, I cannot empathize with anyone who is struggling with their weight and how gaining just 5...more
In the beginning I loved this book I was laughing and had a few tears but towards the end I felt like I was reading a chick flick that just drug on and on. There were times I really disliked the main character and wanted to tell her to grow a set and move on but adored the rest of the characters thoroughly. The author did a fantastic job making the reader feel like they've struggled with binging and being overweight themselves. For myself being a not slim person but not a binger it was interesti...more
After changing her life, becoming healthy and losing 150 lbs. Melanie's husband leaves her for her overweight former coworker and friend. She has recently opened up her own healthy food boutique and her life changes as she surrounds herself with a crew of loving, quirky characters who help her to see the value in herself and improve her self-esteem.
This book received very high praise so i was excited to read it. I found it very predictable and found myself not wanting to finish it.
Elaborate dish...more
This book received very high praise so i was excited to read it. I found it very predictable and found myself not wanting to finish it.
Elaborate dish...more
This was okay. I liked the general story line but at times it felt too scripted and not "real" enough.
I enjoyed the concept of this more than the actual story (do I say that alot?). I rarely summarize here, usually just type my brief review and let you look if you're interested, but when I give a less than stellar review I feel like maybe I need to justify why I picked it up in the first place? :) I didn't stop reading this one, it gave me an afternoon of enjoyment, but there's not enough good reading in it to recommend much.
"She learned how to eat right. Living right is the hard part." (Charac...more
"She learned how to eat right. Living right is the hard part." (Charac...more
This is a total chick lit, and a very light read, but entertaining too.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Chapters that have titles like 'Fried Chicken','Mashed Potatoes', 'Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting' make you dive into this with a very gigantic appetite for more. It is a very entertaining read and you will for sure get to like the main characters. Chances are likely that after finishing this one that you will try to find the nearest healthy food place or that you want to cook one of the recepis that you can find at the end of the book. This book will make you more likely to gain weigh...more
I'm finding that I really love novels about cooking and food. The main character in this novel, Melanie, has lost half her body weight and opened a business selling healthy delicious food to go. She's shocked when her husband leaves her for a woman the size she used to be, but she rallies with the help of the 'family' she's built at her new business and the much younger woman she takes in as a roommate to make ends meet. And the book ends with a bunch of "Melanie's" recipes. I can't wait to try...more
This was fantastic! While it was on the lighter side, it was by no means your typical chick lit. As a food and literature lover, this was the best of both worlds! The main character is likeable, but develops nicely. Though fairly light on plot, it has its twists that leave you guessing a bit.
And far from a cliche ending, this is a fun and unexpected read. I am normally one that spends a couple of weeks on books, and got through this in a few evenings both because it was an easy read, but also b...more
And far from a cliche ending, this is a fun and unexpected read. I am normally one that spends a couple of weeks on books, and got through this in a few evenings both because it was an easy read, but also b...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Melanie Hoffman has made a lot of changes in her life: she lost a lot of weight, she left a high-paying job to open a healthy take-out business and at the opening of the book, we find out that her husband is leaving her. Apparently, he likes large women and the svelte Melanie is not his cuppa tea anymore.
This is the second book of Stacey Ballis' that I have read and enjoyed. It is a great change of pace to have a book where I can more readily identify with the heroines because they are older and...more
This is the second book of Stacey Ballis' that I have read and enjoyed. It is a great change of pace to have a book where I can more readily identify with the heroines because they are older and...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The whole time I was reading this book I was thinking about how to review it. This is the first book I have read by Stacey Ballis and she reminds me of a younger Kris Radish. I liked the strong friendships that Ballis develops, the "introspection + life change," and her attempt to create strong, independent women. I also really liked the idea of it. Each chapter revolves around a food item and starts with a memory of the protagonist's past. Then, somewhere in that chapter the food reappears. How...more
When Melanie Hoffman lost half of her body weight, she thought it would be the start of a brilliant new life. She thought her marriage to her husband Andrew would be better than ever and opening up her own healthy food shop Dining By Design would afford her a nice career. But when her husband leaves her – for a woman fatter than her no less, Melanie doesn’t know what to do with herself. When Melanie realises her business could go under due to lack of funds, she rents out her second bedroom to th...more
Another fabulous novel by Stacey Ballis!! I adored this book!! Mel could be your sister, your friend, but most likely yourself. It's a great story about a woman, her dreams and all the little "mistakes" she has to work through along the way. Thank God she has a super cast of best friends to help her figure things out. GETE is well written in a way that makes it feel more of a biography rather than fiction, but that could be because I really related to Mel on such a personal level. I also loved t...more
I really wanted to like this book. I love Jen Lancaster, so I figured that her BFF is my BFF, right? I also love books about food, so this seemed right up my alley, but I really struggled to get through it.
The story centers around Melanie, a former fat girl who left the law business to open a healthy take out restaurant. If that wasn't enough reinvention, her husband (clearly a chubby chaser) leaves her for her fat boss. Melanie is now forced to navigate a new world with her co-workers, roommate...more
The story centers around Melanie, a former fat girl who left the law business to open a healthy take out restaurant. If that wasn't enough reinvention, her husband (clearly a chubby chaser) leaves her for her fat boss. Melanie is now forced to navigate a new world with her co-workers, roommate...more
Good Enough to Eat, by Stacey Ballis, is one of those rare books that you want to truly savor as you read because you never want it to end. This book was so much more than just a good read to me. It was substantial, meaningful, and important. It was so profound that I wish I would've written it.
It tells the story of Melanie Hoffman, who before we ever meet her has lost half her body weight - 145 pounds. Not only that, but she's left her job as an attorney to open cafe that serves healthy, delic...more
It tells the story of Melanie Hoffman, who before we ever meet her has lost half her body weight - 145 pounds. Not only that, but she's left her job as an attorney to open cafe that serves healthy, delic...more
I wanted to like this book, but it seemed to be missing some depth. Even though all of the characters had backstories that lent them some complexity (especially Nadia), I alternated between not really caring and feeling like it should have been explored more. At no point did I really "feel" any of the characters.
Also, all of Melanie's "crises" seemed to be magically resolved within a chapter or two. With the exception of her fixation on Andrew, nothing seemed to really impact her for very long....more
Also, all of Melanie's "crises" seemed to be magically resolved within a chapter or two. With the exception of her fixation on Andrew, nothing seemed to really impact her for very long....more
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“Being a compulsive overeater is no different from being an alcoholic or drug addict. The only difference is that you can avoid drugs and alcohol completely and you have to have a relationship with food every day for the rest of your life. It's actually the hardest addiction to live with. If you were an alcoholic and someone said to you that you were required to have a single drink three to five times a day, but were not supposed to ever drink to excess, or a drug addict who was required to take just one pill severeal times a day every day, but you're not supposed to ever take more than that...no one would ever make it through rehab.”
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9 people liked it
“Going to the gym...all those people who always told me that you get addicted to it, that endorphins kick in, that eventually you crave it and look forward to it are sick lying ****s and I want to choke them with a protein bar and pummel them about the head with a bottle of SmartWater.”
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6 people liked it
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May 31, 2011 05:41am